UNB student proposes a way to improve bus service STEPHEN LLEWELLYN THE DAILY GLEANER A University of New Brunswick law student is proposing a radical restructuring of Fredericton’s bus route system that he says would increase service and speed up travel time for riders. Edward Choi, 27, made a presentation to Fredericton’s transportation committee Thursday to switch the capital’s transit system to a mainline or rapid transit model. “This way, the city would be able to provide a faster transit service for most transit customers, most of the time, whilst providing the existing level of service to the rest, without the need to devote additional resources,” he said. “This can be done using our existing fleet.” The current Fredericton bus route system is based on routes that start at a hub at Kings Place and fan out across the city. But Choi said that system is inefficient, the routes often run very close to each other, the routes run too infrequently because they are so long, and buses waste time circling locations like Kings Place and the malls. He estimated that each bus on each route wastes about 15 minutes per run. Currently most buses pass hourly and there are times when a bus passes a stop once every 2.5 hours, said Choi. Another problem with the current system is bus stops aren’t identified by their route number, he said. Instead, he is proposing the city operate one main line or rapid transit line that runs north to south through the city and touching the major centres – like shopping centres, the downtown, the university, churches and medical centres – and a series of shorter feeder routes that come into the main line. The buses on the main route would run every 10 to 20 minutes on week days and weekends and every hour at night, he said. Out of the city’s 28 buses, about one-third would be allocated to the main line to reach that frequency of service, said Choi. The only downside of the new system is that riders might have to use two transfers to get from one part of the city to another, he said. Currently the system with the hub based in Kings Place requires only one transfer, he said. But a faster, more efficient system would encourage more people to ride the bus, said Choi. Ottawa, York and Ville de Quebec all use a similar system, said Choi. He even provided in his presentation a proposed route plan for the city, although he added it should be refined by experts. Choi was asked by the committee if he had any expertise in designing bus system. He said he did not. “I love transit,” he said. Fredericton transit manager Tony Hay said he met several times with Choi before he made his presentation. “There’s some good work there,” he said. Coun. Steven Hicks, chair of the committee, said it was a very interesting concept. Coun. Bruce Grandy, chair of the city’s finance committee, said there is no question that the frequency of service is a major issue for the city’s bus system. “I like the concept of what Edward is proposing,” he said. Grandy said as a north-side councillor the proposal looks like it would serve both sides of the city well. Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase said it is refreshing to have another set of eyes looking at the problems with the transit system. He said he is intrigued by the mainline idea. “You’ve identified something we should take a close look at,” he said. “It could reduce bus congestion in the downtown, particularly at Kings Place.” Coun. Marilyn Kerton said the current bus service for parts of her ward results in very long trips and Choi’s idea merits exploration. “The potential benefits are pretty exciting to look at,” said Coun. Mike O’Brien. The committee voted to send Choi’s presentation to the transit department for analysis and a report.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 10:47:59 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015